Viji Krishnamoorthy was born in Ipoh, Perak to a Tamil father and Hokkien Chinese mother. She spent her early school years in Kuala Lumpur and then in Madras (as it was then known). She completed her tertiary education in the UK. She previously worked as a freelance writer for several magazines. 912 Batu Road is her debut novel and was longlisted for the Dublin Literary Awards 2023.
The author lives in Kuala Lumpur.
Ratih Kumala is an Indonesian author who began her writing career contributing short stories to various newspapers, magazines, and literary journals. She enjoys exploring diverse themes and genres, believing that each literary works possesses its own unique level of complexity.
Her first novel, Tabula Rasa, won the 2003 Jakarta Arts Council Novel Competition. Since then, she has continued to contribute significantly to the literary world. She is also a prolific screenwriter for feature films, television drama series, OTT platforms, and other digital media. Notably, she adapted her own novel, Gadis Kretek (Cigarette Girl), into a screenplay that premiered on Netflix in 2023.
This highly acclaimed series was honored as the Best Miniseries at the Seoul International Drama Awards 2024, and the novel itself has been translated into several foreign languages.
In the same year, she received the Chommanard Women’s Literary Awards 2024 from the Chommanard Book Prize in Thailand. Her novel, Koloni (Colony), emerged from her deep concerns for her beloved home country, Indonesia. She currently resides in Jakarta.
Born in 1983 in Binjai, North Sumatra, Dalih Sembiring is a writer, translator, and journalist with a diverse portfolio in literary and cultural work. He is best known for translating Lelaki Harimau (Man Tiger) by Eka Kurniawan, which was longlisted for the 2016 Man Booker International Prize. His journalism background includes contributions to The Jakarta Post and a tenure as a features reporter at Jakarta Globe. Dalih has authored two novels, and his short stories have appeared in Horison, Jurnal Cerpen Indonesia, and Asymptote Journal. He has also translated for various organizations and interdisciplinary projects, including for the Singapore-based multinational news channel Channel News Asia. Based in Yogyakarta, he remains active in Indonesia’s literary and cultural scenes.
Owing to circumstances out of her control, Anita Stephen found herself less conventional in how she’s approached her work life. From very early on, work experiences that were either difficult or encouraging impacted her deeply, and formed her ideas on the kind of leaders she wanted to work for and the ones she wanted to steer away from. Her experience spans different industries, from legal practice to teaching English, setting up businesses or leading new units, training, and coaching.
The loss of her mum many years ago showed her the need for a workplace to embrace her as a whole – as a grieving person. The more recent loss of her dad has made her more focused on the things that really matter in the workplace, and in our lives. Adding to this, a chronic illness that requires ongoing management has shaped her awareness of what makes work sustainable. Anita has managed to thrive in workplaces where leaders were kind and collegiality was encouraged.
Kindness, or the lack of it at the workplace, has been a theme that has captured Anita’s attention. Her love for the work that she does, coupled with her enjoyment of people, has made her want to push the boundaries of kindness in the workplace.
Lionel Lee is an investor, board member, and philanthropist who achieved Financial Independence and Retired Early (FIRE) by age 40. With over 30 years of experience across 50 companies, 18 industries, and 22 markets, he has managed assets exceeding $3 billion, and advised ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI) and family offices worldwide.
As the creator and global money expert behind Into the Moneyverse, Lionel translates complex financial concepts into real-world applications for adults, youths, parents and kids. He is also a personal finance educator with The Better Foundation and leads its global initiative helping millions achieve financial security and independence. Featured in global media, conferences, and masterclasses, Lionel is dedicated to democratizing wealth-building knowledge and exposing the hidden financial systems that keep people broke.
Shamane Tan is an award-winning global cybersecurity leader, TEDx speaker, bestselling author, and Chief Growth Officer at Sekuro. She partners with boards and C-suite executives across the Asia-Pacific region to drive cyber resilience and digital transformation.
Shamane is the founder of Cyber Risk Meetup, a global leadership platform spanning seven cities, and has authored three books, including titles with Wiley US and Packt Publishing. Her work has been featured in Forbes Australia, Tatler Asia, PEAK Magazine, and Channel News Asia. She was named one of the 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians, and ranked among IFSEC Global’s Top 20 Cybersecurity Influencers.
With over 33,000 followers on LinkedIn, Shamane is a sought-after keynote speaker, known for her thought leadership at the intersection of leadership, resilience, and identity.
Kach Medina Umandap is the youngest and the first Filipino to visit all 193 UN member countries solely using a Philippine passport, reaching this milestone in January 2025 at the age of 36.
A global mobility advocate and a digital nomad with bases in Dubai, Palawan and Montenegro. She is the co-founder of FilipinoPassport.com, TravelwithKach.com and Two Monkeys Travel, platforms where she shares insights on travel, visas, and remote work.
Kach is also an active Reservist in the Philippine Air Force and currently serves as the Ambassador of the global community of Filipino World Travelers (FWT).
Her accomplishments have been recognized by the President of the Philippines. Her inspiring story has been featured in major media outlets, including The New York Times, BBC, TIME, and Forbes.
Armaan Farid is an author, who was born and raised in the city of Hyderabad. From a young age, he found himself to be consumed by the beauty of the English language and its strength in telling wonderful stories. Having graduated with an M.A. in English Literature, he had immersed himself in the works of Samuel Beckett, John Osborne, and Salman Rushdie amongst many other greats who all had influenced him in one manner or the other.
He has managed to publish two books (Stories From The Heart of A Dreamer; and Trapped) and self-published one more (Insomniac Tales). His first, Stories From The Heart of A Dreamer, managed to crack the top 10 of Flipkart’s new releases for December of 2011. The book was also nominated by the US General Consulate, Hyderabad as the state’s choice to compete against the nominations of the other Consulates around the country to earn the author the right to attend the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His self-published book managed to attain modest success on Amazon.
Passionate about the English language and storytelling, he now ventures into the wonderful world of children’s books, hoping to tell tales that can teach and inspire, both young and old, to be the best versions of themselves.
Mon Mon Myat is a Myanmar-born academic, journalist, and media consultant. She holds a Ph.D. in Peacebuilding from Payap University in Thailand, where her doctoral research examined The Philosophical Foundations of Aung San Suu Kyi’s Political Thought. She also holds a Master’s in Journalism from Ateneo de Manila University and an MBA from Payap University. Her academic work explores the intersection of media, politics, and human rights in contemporary Myanmar, with peer-reviewed publications in Palgrave Communications, Social Transformations, and Springer Nature. She currently serves on the faculty at Payap University. Mon Mon Myat has held key leadership roles in media organizations, notably as Bureau Chief and Senior Management Consultant for the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), where she oversaw strategic planning and sustainability initiatives. As a journalist, her bylines have appeared in The Bangkok Post, Agence France-Presse (AFP), The Irrawaddy, and other leading regional outlets. In 2013, she collaborated with Pansodan Books to publish Heartless Forest, an anthology that gives voice to twenty-first-century Burmese women writers as they explore identity, gender, and the human condition. She is also the producer and filmmaker of A Long Way Panlong, a documentary chronicling Aung San Suu Kyi’s political journey from 2012 to 2016—a period of transition and tumult in Myanmar’s modern history.
Kyra Ysabel is a Filipina author who writes heartwarming romances filled with humor, hope, and the unexpected twists of love. She is the self-published author of the Magnolia Heights series, an ongoing contemporary romcom collection that has resonated with readers across social media. Born and raised in the Philippines, Kyra draws inspiration from culture, connection, and everyday magic. By day, she works as a data officer; by night, she writes stories fueled by her love for storytelling, her husband, and their joyful toddler.
